Turning Japanese: The Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco

Whenever I see cherry blossoms, I have to stop and take a photograph. Have film, will shoot. Naturally, I jumped at Nicolas' suggestion for us to see the Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade in Japan Town. Check out some of these photos from our most recent workshop!

Although particularly overcast and unexpectedly cold, Japan Town was an explosion of color and activity this past Sunday! The streets were bustling and the outbound buses were literally packed locals and tourists alike, all in a hurry to get to the same place.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration spread over two weekends which features all aspects of Japanese culture. Stages in the area had demonstrations of local karate and jujitsu gyms. Pop-up tents served an array of traditional foods, including a takoyaki stand that had an incredibly long line!

As we wandered through the crowds with our cameras, we smiled at all the children dressed in kimonos and wondered at the adults in costume. Little did we know, there was a troop of anime Cos-players with a float in the parade. (They, in turn, were really surprised to see a duo dressed as Captian America and Wolverine!)

Our workshop group featured both familiar faces as well as new ones, with our new attendees quite eager to try their hands with the Lomography cameras. Armed with the Fisheye no. 2, the Diana Mini, the la Sardina and some of our personal favorites, we got to snapping. Check out our arsenal… Kenji brought some amazing cameras. Is that a Fujipet Thunderbird?!!

We found an open stretch of sidewalk near the start of the parade route and settled ourselves. Each passing float adorned in shimmering decorations, we were well entertained for the duration of the event! From pageant models to politicians, from local scout troops to traditional drum groups, there was definitely something for everybody. It was great to see the strength of the Japanese culture and community, and we look forward to spending more time shooting in the area in the future!

if you missed it, you missed out! Worry not, because there are tons of other opportunities to shoot with the Lomography SF crew. In fact, we host workshops every weekend. We hope to see you in our future!!

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